Refugee Internships in Cape Town, South Africa

I traveled 10,000 miles to find myself feeling right at home. Cape Town has been a place of adventure, leisure, and life lessons for me. I have made friends and memories that will last a lifetime....
Morgan Thompson

Location

South Africa: Cape Town

Program Summary

VACorps offers internship placements with a non-government organization in Cape Town, South Africa, that supports asylum seekers. Interns will equip refugees and asylum seekers with practical and technical skills for employment, and facilitate a process of initiating income-generating ventures for refugees and asylum seekers to achieve self-reliance and economic independence. Apart from these tasks, interns will advocate and lobby with relevant state departments, network with stakeholders, and engage in fundraising activities to support the refugee programs in the greater Cape Town area.

Majority of vulnerable refugees reside in marginalized and deprived communities which have a legacy of high unemployment and a lack of socioeconomic progress. Even those who live with their friends or relatives in the suburbs are faced with high levels of unemployment and no source of income. Owing to limited employment and self-employment opportunities, even highly educated and skilled refugees or asylum seekers ...

Program Summary

VACorps offers internship placements with a non-government organization in Cape Town, South Africa, that supports asylum seekers. Interns will equip refugees and asylum seekers with practical and technical skills for employment, and facilitate a process of initiating income-generating ventures for refugees and asylum seekers to achieve self-reliance and economic independence. Apart from these tasks, interns will advocate and lobby with relevant state departments, network with stakeholders, and engage in fundraising activities to support the refugee programs in the greater Cape Town area.

Majority of vulnerable refugees reside in marginalized and deprived communities which have a legacy of high unemployment and a lack of socioeconomic progress. Even those who live with their friends or relatives in the suburbs are faced with high levels of unemployment and no source of income. Owing to limited employment and self-employment opportunities, even highly educated and skilled refugees or asylum seekers find it difficult to survive.

Program Highlights

All refugee internships are facilitated through the VACorps professional internship program. A few highlights of our internship program are as follows:

- We are an internship program that only accepts the most serious and professionally focused applicants. Our participants work full time and are expected to make an impact at their internship sites. Central to our program philosophy is the concept of mutually beneficial experiential learning, through which the intern, partner organization, and the communities they serve, have the opportunity to learn, grow, and develop in dynamic and positive ways.

- Outside of your internship, you will be able to participate in our program's free weekly Friday Excursions. Excursions take place in the afternoon and are an optional, yet highly recommended, way to see a new part of the city every week while socializing with other interns in the program. The following are examples of previous Friday excursions: surfing lessons at Muizenberg Beach, hikes in Table Mountain National Park (Lion's Head, Boomslang Caves, Elephant's Eye, Constantia Nek, Cecilia Forest), wine tasting in Constantia, chocolate tasting in Franschhoek, picnics in Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, champagne sunset cruises in Table Bay Harbor and the list goes on!

- All interns participate in a comprehensive 2-day arrival orientation.

10/ 10

Submitted by
Tressa Thomas -
Seattle, WA United StatesUniversity of Washington in Seattle| September 21, 2016

This internship really stretched my comfort zone. CTRC puts a lot of trust in their interns, so I had a lot of responsibility right of the start. I conducted interviews, processed finances, created a support group, taught human rights workshops and helped organize the CTRC Nelson Mandela day, plus National Women Day. I've learned so much about social work, the nature of poverty and education in South Africa, the effects of rape and war on women and African feminisim in general. My experience with VAC and in Cape Town was wonderful. The VAC staff is so frinedly and supportive, while Cape Town itself is the most beautiful and interesting city. After this experience, I can easily see myself coming back and staying for years.

My time at CTRC has been so invaluable that I am dreading leaving. I have become so close to mu supervisors who I view as mentors and we have spent countless times discussing potential future careers for me after the experience, and knowledge I've gained at the centre. From the beginning, I was integrated into the staff, even as just an intern and I was challenged to do difficult social work I didn't know I was ready for. I am so thankful to have spent my weeks at such a worthwhile and inspiring job. I only wish I could have stayed longer!

Overall Rating

10/ 10

Internship Placement

10

Program Administration

10

Living Situation

7

Cultural Immersion

7

Health and Safety

8

Social Life

9

Refugee center internship

Submitted by
Heather Stone -
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee| May 17, 2016

I was able to gain 1 on 1 experience with refugees and was very independent in my work. I understand how a social service organization operates in a developing country and learned how to deal with difficult situations myself.

Overall Rating

10/ 10

Internship Placement

3

Program Administration

8

Living Situation

10

Cultural Immersion

10

Health and Safety

10

Social Life

10

Cruisin' the Cape

Submitted by
Allie Emmert -
-| May 17, 2016

It was great, loved the staff, Cederberg was amazing! Friday activities were also really fun! I would recommend talking more about the meal plan and how much it costs/not everyone does it! I wish I would have known that before I came.

Overall Rating

10/ 10

Internship Placement

10

Program Administration

10

Living Situation

10

Cultural Immersion

10

Health and Safety

10

Social Life

10

My Second Home

Submitted by
Morgan Thompson -
Cape Town Oregon State University| March 23, 2015

I traveled 10,000 miles to find myself feeling right at home. Cape Town has been a place of adventure, leisure, and life lessons for me. I have made friends and memories that will last a lifetime. After three months I have grown professionally and personally more than I would have ever thought possible. Thank you VAC and thank you Cape Town! P.S. Some words of advice: don't over pack, always wear sunscreen, take a mini bus taxi at least once, go on the Garden Route, and make friends with people not form your country.

ARESTA gave me the opportunity to see hands on the struggles many South African citizens face. It was amazing to see the changes in communities after we implemented our programs.
My internship definitely stretched my comfort zone. I learned to go with the flow and become more patient and understanding. Professionally I learned that you will not always get praised or acknowledged for doing good work but that doesn't mean your boss doesn't appreciate it.

Overall Rating

9/ 10

Internship Placement

8

Program Administration

9

Living Situation

8

Cultural Immersion

10

Health and Safety

9

Social Life

10

My time in Cape Town

Submitted by
Rina Ann -
Bethlehem United States-| August 31, 2016

My experience in Cape Town was a tough dose of reality. Learning about the life and experiences of refugees was extremely eye opening. This is in addition to realising some of the realities of working for an NGO. I truly left my comfort zone here, but I was so blessed to have the opportunity to work with many different departments and learn new things about work and myself. Although many experiences were frustrating, as I learned realities, my time here was incredible important to my understanding of the world.

Overall Rating

9/ 10

Internship Placement

10

Program Administration

9

Living Situation

5

Cultural Immersion

8

Health and Safety

8

Social Life

9

Learning Cape Town

Submitted by
Fayine -
Portland University of Oregon| March 26, 2015

Cape Town is a beautiful place but to fully experience it, you have to immerse yourself in the culture and not just be a tourist doing fun outings and excursions. Walk the streets, get to know locals, and find those little gems that only locals know about. In regards to the internship, be flexible and patient and don't close yourself off. I learned a lot about myself professionally and personally and gained so many skills. This experience confirmed that I am on the right career path and that I truly have a passion for refugee and human rights issues.

Overall Rating

9/ 10

Internship Placement

8

Program Administration

10

Living Situation

10

Cultural Immersion

10

Health and Safety

9

Social Life

10

Internship at PASSOP in Cape Town

Submitted by
Eva Peter -
Cape Town | March 24, 2015

My internship affected me professionally as I learned to deal with many different types of people, I gained more confidence and improved my English. My internship affected me personally as I discovered how many people are in difficult situations around the world. I learned so much!

Overall Rating

8/ 10

Internship Placement

8

Program Administration

8

Living Situation

7

Cultural Immersion

8

Health and Safety

8

Social Life

9

Cape Town Refugee Center

Submitted by
Alix Stott -
Calgary Carleton| May 21, 2015

I don't think I will ever forget some of the refugee stories that I heard and I gained a better appreciation for the resources I take for granted in Canada. I also learned how to better assess peoples' situations and to be more flexible for different ways of doing social work and interacting with clients. I definitely had some doubts about my placement before I arrived, but I learned a lot and grew both professional and personally. My placement site seemed grateful for having me there and I was grateful for the experience.

Term

Throughout the year

Dates

All year-round

Qualifications

Applicants must have a background in Sociology, International Relations, Political Science, Psychology, Geography, Anthropology, Social Work, and/or display prior experience in the field.